- By Fred Spanner
Beirut: A Study Of Losses ⭐⭐⭐
Zach Condon, the slightly mysterious lad behind Beirut, is back. A Study of Losses isn’t your usual globe-trotting indie folk affari; it’s like the sonic equivalent of staring out a rainy window in your pants, pondering life, death, and why your ex still has your Joy Division vinyl.
Known for chucking together Eastern European oom-pah vibes with indie heartache, Beirut’s always been the kind of artist you imagine soundtracking a Wes Anderson flick set in a Turkish bazaar.
Tracks like Guerickes Unicorn and Forest Encyclopedia drift by with gentle grace. The lyrics are thoughtful, but never shove it in your face. It’s music that suggests rather than shouts, like a mate in the pub who just went quiet and meaningful for a second.
What makes A Study of Losses stand out? It’s the quiet. The album doesn’t go big, iit goes inward. No bombastic endings, no big "ta-da!" moments. Just a bloke with a battered voice and a pile of feelings, letting the music do the talking. It won’t have you dancing on tables, but it might just get under your skin.
And sometimes, that’s better.
